UVF has breached ceasefire, says Hain

THE Government said last night that it no longer recognised the Ulster Volunteer Force’s ceasefire after a summer of murders and its orchestration of the loyalist violence that has swept Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, made the declaration hours after another loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association, called for an end to the worst riots in 10 years. The north Belfast branch of the largest Protestant paramilitary group said it was instructing members to stay away from the confl ict after three nights of hostilities.

Mr Hain had little option but to bow to pressure to “ specify” the UVF by saying that its ceasefi re, which has lasted 11 years, had ended. The decision closes channels of communication between the UVF and the authorities and makes it easier for police to arrest Protestant terrorists released under the Good Friday Agreement if they commit crimes.

But he risks further inflaming loyalists, who will accuse him of double standards by failing to take similar action against the IRA after the £26 million Northern Bank raid and the Robert McCartney murder.

The announcement also creates more bad publicity for loyalists amid growing speculation that the IRA is about to decommission weapons.

Mr Hain said a loyalist feud, which saw the UVF murder four people during a dispute with the splinter Loyalist Volunteer Force, as well as the latest riots had forced him to take the action, effective from midnight. The decision was also based on discussions with Sir Hugh Orde, the Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable.

David Ervine, the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, which is linked to the UVF, said Mr Hain’s action was “hardly unexpected”.

The violence, which saw police return loyalist fi re when it peaked at the weekend, had died down substantially by Monday night. But there were still street battles after loyalists blocked the main commuter routes out of Belfast.

Last night, similar roadblocks once more disrupted traffic, and bus operators cancelled services because of concerns over the safety of passengers.

Police have made 63 arrests so far after the trouble, which erupted after the Whiterock Orange Order march was re-routed to avoid a Catholic area. One man appeared in court yesterday accused of possessing seven guns and home-made explosives.